The Right Fit – Alec Wilson

So, you want to become a helicopter pilot? Well, the first thing you need to do is find a
flight school that that is going to be right for you. If you are like me, you have done a
bunch of research in the last few years narrowing down your options, and comparing
them with your values. There are a number of flight schools out there offering basically
the same thing, a commercial pilots license for helicopters, so how do you choose? I
chose to train with Chinook Helicopters in Abbotsford BC. The following are a few
insights into my experience there, and how I transitioned into the commercial work
force.

In early September of 2015, I had a meeting with Cathy Press, Chinook’s Chief Pilot and
CEO. I walked in and was greeted by Tracy, their incredibly kind and energetic office
manager. I had a flurry of questions prepared for Cathy, and she answered each one
calmly and factually. I had done a fair amount of research about job opportunities, the
life of a helicopter pilot, and salary expectations before I got there, so I was prepared if
the answers to my questions did not line up. Cathy was professional and kind, and
gave me answers that seemed logical, and most importantly were true. She said that
most likely I would spend a few years on the ground before a company would consider
to let me fly one of their helicopters, and that the lifestyle of a ‘rookie’ helicopter pilot is
generally pretty erratic. None of these answers surprised me, and I appreciated her
honesty. I also told her that I had a few companies in mind that I would really like to
work for, and that I thought I would be a good fit. Her response was simple “Ok Alec,
lets see how you do.” With that I had made my decision, and I planned to enroll for the
January 2016 intake as long as I could hit my savings target for 2015, which I did.
A few weeks before I was scheduled to begin at Chinook, a friend of mine who had
become a helicopter pilot in 2012 sent me a message, and in it contained some of the
most important advice of my new career. His advice was “Alec, treat this as a very long
job interview, and you will be better for it.” This meant that helicopter instructors in
Canada, and especially at Chinook are very experienced and connected in the
helicopter industry. If multiple instructors notice that you have a good work ethic, a
positive attitude, and willingness to learn, you will have a much better shot at gaining
employment afterwards. So that’s what I did, I showed up early and left late, and tried
to be a team player and help out as much as possible. I did all the work that was
expected and more, I tried to participate in the school culture as much as possible, and
most importantly I had as much fun as I could while I was there.

Although the training was difficult, the atmosphere at Chinook was fun and engaging,
and the instructors are not afraid to challenge you at every turn. Each instructor has
their own set of specialties and experience, so try to fly with as many of them as
possible to absorb as much as you can while at school. All of the twenty students that
enrolled at Chinook when I did became friends, and we helped each other every day.
Although we all had different backgrounds, and often different view points, we became
better pilots by working together and leveraging off each other’s experiences. You will
learn not only how to fly, but how to handle any emergency you can think of while flying
a helicopter. One day you might be practicing how to land on a spot from 1000ft without
engine power in an ‘autorotation’, or proper confined area reconnaissance techniques
on a mountain side off Stave Lake. We are blessed to live in BC where the terrain is not
only beautiful, but also very good for learning how to fly in the mountains. Chinook is
located minutes from mountainous terrain, and if you plan to work in this part of the
world, plan to train in it, as pilots who train over flat terrain are at a significant
disadvantage when applying for work in the mountains.

As my flight test was approaching, and the summer helicopter hiring season was
beginning, the energy at school began to change. The pressure was on to do well and
pass your flight test, so that you could begin to look for work in the competitive job
market. I had already been on the job hunt, and had a few companies narrowed down. I
also got a few tips from instructors about who they knew was hiring that summer, which
was very much appreciated. It turned out that SKY Helicopters in Pitt Meadows BC, the
company I always wanted to work for was interviewing for positions to drive their
passenger shuttle for the summer. I immediately jumped at the opportunity and got an
interview. I drove around to about ten other companies and did interviews, but in the
back of my mind I knew I wanted to work for SKY, regardless of the position. About a
week later, I got a call from Andrew Westlund, Owner and President of SKY Helicopters.
He informed me that they had a flying position available, and that he wanted to meet me
right away for a second interview. At our meeting he said that I had a good
recommendation from Chinook, and they were considering hiring me to fly full time for
them as their busy season was approaching, I couldn’t believe it. Four hours after our
meeting, Andrew called and offered me a full time flying position with SKY Helicopters, I
almost did a backflip. Since then, I have been working full time for SKY, and couldn’t be
happier.

Almost everyone I trained with at Chinook found seasonal jobs that summer, and some
got full time positions at which they are still working. We all worked hard that year, and I
think we will be seeing each other around in the industry for a long time. Choosing to
become a helicopter pilot is expensive, hard, and time consuming. Most jobs will start
you on the ground before even considering you to fly for them. If you have that as your
expectation, companies will appreciate it, and who knows they may get you going
sooner. The helicopter industry is small, and you would be surprised how many people
know each other. If you have any connections, friends, friends of friends, long lost
cousins, anyone that knows you and works in the industry, contact them! You will need
all the help you can get when you are looking for work. I got lucky. I was in the right
place at the right time, I worked hard at school, and it paid off. After a lot of
consideration, planning, and research I chose to train at Chinook Helicopters, and yes,
for me it was ‘the right fit’.